Entries with the tag: team usa

What’s going to happen when snarky Ron Wilson, explosive John Tortorella, and Scott Gordon get together to run Team USA? Here’s a secret transcript from the future as the three coaches have their first meeting to discuss playing style. Let the wackiness ensure…

We’re about a year out from the big Vancouver Olympic games and I’m seeing folks like James Mirtle and the Puck Daddy crew making their various picks for the different teams. The more I see of Team USA, though, the more I’m surprised at the lack of love for one Joe Pavelski.

Now you could call me a homer or claim that I’ve got a west-coast bias, but I’m guessing a big part of Pavelski being overlooked is that 1) he’s overshadowed by some dudes name Marleau and Thornton and 2) he plays on the west coast so a lot of people miss out on his games. But his numbers show that he’s effective in all situations, and for those who haven’t seen enough of him, he’s wickedly crafty with the puck.

The great thing about Pavelski is that he thinks the game extremely well and he’s got a great work ethic. That means that if the pucks going into the corner, he’s not afraid to go fight for it, but he’s also shifty enough to often come out with the puck and take an odd-angle shot that surprises the goalie. His stickhandling ability, along with his ability to protect the puck, get overshadowed with some of the talent on the Sharks roster. He’s got a great wrist shot too, and all of that makes him highly effective in one-on-one situations (check out his career shootout percentage).